Violence in Public Schools - Research Paper Example

Introduction On April 20, 1999, twelve students and one teacher were murdered and twenty-one other students were injured by two classmates on the Columbine High School campus. An unfortunate and deadly example, but one that truly shows the kind of devastation that violence in public schools can cause. While some violence is only limited to schoolyard bullying, which more often consists of verbal assault, physical violence has become more common. The amount of physical violence and school shootings have increased. As of 2006, 12.4% of students from grades nine through twelve reported being in a physical fight, 7.8% reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, and an average of sixteen students are killed each year from school-associated homicides (Centers for Disease Control, 2008). Even though bullying has decreased over the past two decades, physical school violence, especially shootings, have only increased over the years. Causes School violence is brought on by an array of causes and factors, such as bullying, mental and behavioral disorders, personal environments, and unsolvable differences between individuals or groups. School violence can involve individuals, groups, or even innocent passers-by who are unaware of anything taking place. Some acts of school violence often have to do with being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bullying is not only an act of school violence, but can also be a starting factor (Denmark, 2005). Many schoolchildren deal with bullying, whether it be physical or verbal, and though some of them consult adults about these issues or otherwise ignore it, there are still those that are willing to fight back. Usually when the other person does not try fighting back, the fighter gives up and walks off. When the victim begins to defend themselves, the exacerbate the incident. Furthermore, students that put up with bullying on a constant basis often begin to bully others to relieve frustration or because they see it as a solvent to their own problems. Mental illnesses are another cause of school violence. Depression, conduct disorder, and antisocial disorders in students can cause them to display aggressive behavior, coupled with a lack of remorse and guilt. The two boys involved in the Columbine massacre had histories of depression, suicidal thoughts, aggression, and antisocial behavior. Violence is used as a coping mechanism, and when students are around their peers for so many hours in a day, those peers become easy targets. The majority of students with mental illnesses are unaware that what they are doing is looked down upon in accordance to social norms (Sexton-Radek, 2004). The environment of a student plays a big role in their involvement in school violence. Home, school, and their neighborhood will help to determine the amount of violence that they are willing to implement themselves. If a student grows up in a home where there is abuse, they increase their chances of abusing others. If their school or neighborhood experiences a lot of violent activity, their subjection to such constant behavior can cause them to act out in the same way against those that annoy them at school. A student can also take the anger that they are experiencing in regard to their environment out on those at school. In school, students have contact with many other students that not only share similarities with them, but also vast differences. It is many of these differences that cause students to go against each other and engage in violence. Whether the differences rest with religion, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, or simply one girl going out with her friend’s ex-boyfriend, these aspects are enough to make students clash. The anger of defending their stances on these topics can push them to violence to strengthen their backing on their stance. People Effected in School Violence Numerous people are effected when school violence hits. The students that cause the violence are often effected prior to the incident and afterwards. They are effected by whatever starts the need to be violent as well as the consequences that they must face once they have been reprimanded. Depending on what they have done, these consequences can include arrest, a lengthy stay in prison or a juvenile detention facility, or, in some cases, death. Others that are effected are the victims of the student and the other students in the proximity at the time. When violence overcomes a school, everyone present becomes touched by the violence no matter how distantly. Family members of both the suspects and the victims also feel what happens when violence takes place at the school of family members; when great acts of violence take place, such as shootings or riots, parents eventually, and almost immediately, find out what is going on and worry about their loved ones. Additionally, the entire town becomes involved in what goes on in the school. Everybody becomes shaken up and an indirect part of the violence in schools. Examples of School Violence Bullying in schools is a common occurrence, often going unreported due to the incidents being isolated or otherwise minor. Unfortunately, a growing trend in school violence has been school shootings, massacres that far exceed the events of traditional bullying. These shootings have become the greatest causes of school-associated deaths (Lebrun, 2008). Dating back farther than 1966, shootings on school grounds have been recorded; though many are initiated by parents, school officials, or even just a mentally unstable person who wants to send a message, there are still many that are initiated by students. The most infamous of these occurrences is the Columbine High School massacre as previously mentioned. Others include the University of Texas massacre, the Red Lake massacre, and the Virginia Tech massacre. The University of Texas massacre took place in 1966. Charles Whitman, a student of the school, opened fire on teachers and fellow peers, killing fourteen and wounding thirty-two others. Whitman also murdered his wife and mother. He was killed by police officers, yet this seemed to have been the plan after his suicide note was discovered. Though there was no definite reason as to what caused Whitman to act out so violently, it was believed that his cries for concern over his mental and physical condition yielded no response from others, so he set out to send a message. In his suicide note, he suggested an autopsy as he had known about a brain tumor that others would not listen in regard to. In 2005, a sixteen-year-old former student of Red Lake Senior High School shot and killed nine people, including his girlfriend, grandfather, and a teacher, and wounded five others. The student, Jeffrey Weise, had prior history of troublemaking and fighting with other students. He was considered an outcast and often bullied for his Goth appearance, one of the causes of the bullying from other students. Weise had been expelled from the Red Lake school after threatening to repeat the acts of Columbine. At the end of his rampage, he turned his gun on himself and took his own life. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a student of Virginia Tech, opened fire at his university, killing a total of thirty-two people and wounding many others. In 2005, Cho had been declared mentally unstable after being accused of stalking two of his fellow students. Cho had a history of mental disorders, including a severe anxiety order. Throughout middle and high school, Cho was subjected to numerous therapy sessions and special education support. Though there is no definite motive to his violent behavior, it is assumed that it was due to his mental unbalance. Cho turned his weapon on himself after he had finished his massacre. Prevention Due to the publicizing of school violence, whether they involve shootings or bullying, schools nationwide have taken it upon themselves to create laws and rules to help decrease the amount of violence that takes place on and off campus between students. The security in schools has been increased so that the security-to-student ratio is more balanced, allowing more people to be aware of potential situations. Similarly, schools have adopted a Zero Tolerance policy, one that clearly states that lack of tolerance that schools have towards violence of any sort; under the Zero Tolerance policy, students are able to anonymously report acts or threats of violence (Jimerson, 2006). Students are often subjected to searches of their backpacks and lockers, especially if they are suspected to have weapons in their possession; many schools have even put up money to purchase metal detectors for every entrance leading into their schools. Therapy and counseling are other strategies that are used to decrease school violence. Whether a student is being threatened, facing violence at home, or are simply afraid, therapists and counselors are available for them to speak with. Any concerns are then taken to security to help increase the safety of students and the school. Lectures, meetings, and other various assemblies are used to enforce student safety. Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). School-associated student homicides - United States, 1992-2006. MMWR 57(02), 33-6. Denmark, F. (2005). Violence in schools. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag New York, LLC. Jimerson, S. (2006). Handbook of school violence and school safety from research to practice. United Kingdom: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates, Incorporated. Lebrun, M. (2008). Books, blackboards, and bullets: School shootings and violence in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. Sexton-Radek, K. (2004). Violence in schools: Issues, consequences, and expressions. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. Read More